you might want to look at the Feisol CT3441 or CT3442 tripods even though they are a bit over 2lbs. I have their bigger brother, and I am extremely happy with it. I am not sure what the policy on linking to commercial websites is here, so if it is a problem, let me know and I will change the post. In the meantime, Really Big Cameras has a lot of information about the Feisol tripods and are extremely helpful if you have questions.

The Zeiss will certainly be interesting. Don't count the Fuji offerings out, though. Fuji has made some great lenses over time and the 35mm is simply amazing.

Thanks Martin and Rob for the input. I will check out the tripods from Feisol. I hear you Rob on the problems with a light tripod but if I can hang something from it it might help. My standard tripod is a large CF Gitzo with a large Arca Swiss ballhead, which is nice but a bit over kill for travel when I want to go lightly and not have a huge weight. Especially now as I am getting older and have some health challenges it gets a lot harder to lug a large backpack with full size cameras, pano heads and a large tripod. The Fuji is not my main camera but it is my day to day easy to carry camera, so it does get used a lot and a small tripod might be nice at times. Oh well no "Easy " button to push.

I've since done more research and the Feisel CT-3342 looks very good at $299 and 2.7 lbs. Its viewing height (without extending) is 54.3 inches which is a little low but not bad for a light tripod.

Induro makes an AKBO CF tripod at 2.7lbs, 56.1 height for $119.95. It looks OK but I'm a little suspicious considering the very low price. Would need to see a review or a real one to know but it seems too cheap to be good quality.

No the flash is not disabled with that lens. I will guess that what you have done is turned off the sounds? You need to turn on the sounds and not be in quiet mode in order to use the flash. The flash is disabled when in quiet mode, kind of a funky way of doing things but that is what they have done. The lens shade will cast a shadow so be aware of that....

Thanks Alan, I will try that. I never would have known these obcure facts..

On an unrelated follow-up question; does anyone consider the 35mm lens for the XE-1 a must have if you alreay own the zoom lens?Curious about opinions about the 35mm as far as how much it would add to my zoom lens.

Must have? Depends, I guess. I bought the XE1 about a month ago with the kit zoom and the 35/1.4 because it was offered at a $200 saving vs. the lenses separately and I figure I'll use the zoom's wider capability until I add primes to my kit. For me the 35 was a "must have" because I use primes probably 90% of the time and it is the lens normally on the camera.

BTW, I agree with Alan's answer re the flash. You'll find it in the Owner's Manual p.83 under Silent Mode.

Thanks Alan, I will try that. I never would have known these obcure facts..

On an unrelated follow-up question; does anyone consider the 35mm lens for the XE-1 a must have if you alreay own the zoom lens?Curious about opinions about the 35mm as far as how much it would add to my zoom lens.

The 35mm lens is a great lens, very sharp and very nice to use. I guess it comes down to whether or not you like to use fast lenses for their narrow depth of field or not. I use an X-Pro 1 and I have all the prime lenses from Fuji, the 14mm, 18mm, 35mm and 60mm and I also have the Rokinon 8mm fisheye. I also use some of my old Canon FD lenses. I liked the camera so much after using it for almost a year that when it was time to upgrade my wife's camera from a Canon G10 we got her an X-E1 and the zoom lens. She is quite happy with the zoom and the zoom is nice for framing and also the OIS support is nice for low light and the fact the Fuji has yet to fix the minimum shutter speed for various modes. That being said I am quite happy with my primes and I use my legs for "zooming", the way my wife likes to shoot, she enjoys the zoom. So it really comes down to how you like to photograph. The IQ from the 35mm is a bit better than the zoom but not by long shot because the zoom is very nice, in fact for the price the Fuji lenses are all outstanding. I still use my Canon gear but it is a lot easier to carry the Fuji with me every day, so it gets used more. So it hard to say it is a must have but for me it is, the lenses are an excellent value.